TIMMONS ARENA

Furman University and its basketball programs entered a new era
in 1998 with the opening of Timmons Arena, the school’s
on-campus, multi-purpose facility.

The 100,000 square-foot arena, which seats 3,500 people for
basketball and 6,000 for concerts and other school and community
activities, currently serves as the home of the university’s
men’s and women’s basketball programs and men's and
women's lacrosse programs.

In addition to featuring two regulation-size basketball courts,
the facility includes offices and locker room facilities, offices
for sports information, a complete sports medicine facility, and a
7,000 square-foot strength and conditioning center that serves the
university’s entire 20-sport intercollegiate athletics
program. Arena seating is chair-back style and is collapsible
to allow the available floor space to be used for a variety of
activities.

The lead gift of $4 million for the facility was provided by
longtime Furman supporters William R. Timmons, Jr. ‘49, Jean
Timmons Pelham ‘42, and Charlie and Kitty Wells ‘48
Timmons. Bill, Jean, and Charlie are children of the late
William R. Timmons ‘14.

At the time of facility dedication, Bill Timmons, chairman of
Greenville’s Canal Insurance Company, longtime university
trustee, and recipient of an honorary degree from Furman, recalled
that his family’s association with the university dated back
from his father’s enrollment in 1910. His
father’s brother, Charles Edward Timmons, Jr., also attended
Furman before volunteering for World War I, during which he was
killed in action.

The construction of Timmons Arena eased overcrowding in Alley
Gymnasium and in the Herman W. Lay Physical Activities Center
(PAC), which currently serves as the home of the department
of health and exercise science, student recreational and intramural
sports, and fitness center.

The decision to move forward with the arena was driven by the
closing of Memorial Auditorium, the downtown Greenville facility
that served as Furman’s basketball home for 38 years.

Located just southeast of the home stands at Paladin Stadium,
Timmons Arena features a main entrance and wings made of brick,
with the rear constructed of split face block and insulated metal
panels. Stanmar Inc. of Stanbury, Mass., which specializes in
constructing athletic facilities, was the designer and builder at a
cost of $10.9 million.